Teacher says she's been placed on leave

Alena Jones, the Yuba City school teacher charged with threatening two people with a gun, said Friday she is on paid administrative leave while her court case is pending.

Jones, accompanied to Sutter County Superior Court by numerous supporters, said she is going on campus at Andros Karperos Middle School to do work outside the classroom but that a substitute is teaching her class.

A call to Nancy Aaberg, Yuba City Unified School District superintendent, was returned by Craig Guensler, assistant superintendent of human resources. Guensler said he could not comment on a personnel issue.

A preliminary hearing for Jones was delayed a second time when, according to her attorney, Geoffrey Wander, a key witness was unavailable.

The witness, a member of a security unit at Beale Air Force Base, lives across the street from Jones and will testify that she did not follow the two alleged victims with a gun, Wander said.

The man and woman, who have not been identified, were trying to repossess Jones' car, which she had used as collateral on a $2,300 loan. Jones said earlier she had missed just one payment when the "repo" people came to her Wilson Avenue home late on the night of Dec. 12, tried to open her garage and pounded loudly on her front door, awakening her.

Wander is expected to argue in court that the man and woman were trespassing after Jones told the woman to leave.

Jones, who has no police record, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a firearm and spent 11 days in Sutter County Jail. She was brought to court in handcuffs and leg chains for her first initial appearance Dec. 22.

Jones is free on $50,000 bail.

Visiting Judge James F. Dawson rescheduled the preliminary hearing for Friday.